Defence Minister Awards Tinubu Administration 65–70% Score on Security
Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has sparked nationwide debate after granting President Bola Tinubu’s administration a performance score of between 65 and 70 per cent on security. Musa gave the assessment during a Friday interview on ARISE News while reflecting on the administration’s three years in office, even as attacks, kidnappings and banditry continue to plague several parts of the country.
ADC Says Tinubu’s 30% Approval Rating Proves Nigerians Have Rejected His Administration
The African Democratic Congress has described President Bola Tinubu’s 30 per cent approval rating after three years in office as evidence that Nigerians have rejected his administration. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said a latest survey showing that nearly 70 per cent of Nigerians are dissatisfied with the country’s direction reflects the daily realities of worsening economic hardship, unemployment and insecurity.
Wike-Loyal PDP Faction Urges Goodluck Jonathan to Publicly Distance Himself From Presidential Candidacy Reports
The Peoples Democratic Party faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from reports linking him to the party’s 2027 presidential ticket. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the faction advised Jonathan to take the step in order to protect his integrity and reputation, describing claims of his candidacy as false, misleading and unauthorised.
FCTA Threatens to Revoke Title Documents of Venues Hosting Unrecognised Political Factions
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has directed owners of hotels and event centres in Abuja to deny access to any political party faction not recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, warning that title documents of non-compliant properties will be revoked. The directive, issued under FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, effectively empowers venue operators — and by extension the FCTA — to determine which political tendencies may lawfully assemble in the nation’s capital.
Tinubu Defends Fuel Subsidy Removal, Says It Saved Nigeria From Bankruptcy
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday defended his administration’s removal of the fuel subsidy, declaring that the decision saved Nigeria from imminent bankruptcy and placed the nation on the path to economic recovery. The President spoke in Lagos while hosting governors who paid him a Sallah homage and joined him in marking the third anniversary of his administration.
Coup Plotters Had So Little Support Ordinary Nigerians Could Have Stopped Them — Defence Minister
Defence Minister Christopher Musa has said that officers who plotted to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government commanded such negligible support that ordinary Nigerians could have subdued them without military intervention. He described the plotters as a band of confused individuals who recklessly drew clueless junior officers into what he called a doomed enterprise.
Bandits Kill Two Local Government Officials in Zamfara Over Alleged Lakurawa Ties
Bandits in Zamfara State have killed a ward councillor, Habibu Jangebe, and the Director of Planning of Talata-Mafara Local Government Area, Alhaji Jamilu Sani, over alleged financial dealings with the Lakurawa terrorist group. The two officials were reportedly murdered after being accused of making monthly payments to the Lakurawa faction.
Katsina Police Arrest Six Suspects Over Violent Attack on Keku Village
The Katsina State Police Command has announced the arrest of six suspects in connection with a violent attack on residents of Keku Village in Musawa Local Government Area. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, confirmed the development in a statement made available to journalists on Friday in Katsina.
SDP Presidential Candidate Accuses Tinubu of Deepening Economic Hardship
The Social Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, Adewole Adebayo, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of worsening economic hardship across the country. In a statement issued Friday to coincide with the administration’s third anniversary, Adebayo said many Nigerians are finding it increasingly difficult to afford food, healthcare and education amid rising living costs, unemployment and insecurity.
Anambra Sets N50 Million Fee for Presidential Campaign Permits Ahead of 2027 Elections
The Anambra State Government, through the Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency, has announced permit fees for political parties and candidates seeking to conduct outdoor campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections. Under the new guidelines, presidential candidates will be required to pay N50 million for outdoor campaign permits, while senatorial candidates will pay N20 million.
Governors Propose N100,000 New National Minimum Wage
The Nigeria Governors Forum has proposed a new national minimum wage of N100,000, with NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announcing that governors endorsed the figure in recognition of the need to improve workers’ welfare amid rising living costs. The statutory minimum wage currently stands at N70,000 under the National Minimum Wage Act, though some states including Lagos, Rivers and Imo are already paying above that threshold.
PDP Vows to Proceed With Jonathan Unveiling Despite Wike’s Venue Threats
The Peoples Democratic Party faction loyal to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has declared that it will not be intimidated by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s threats against event centres hosting unrecognised political factions. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the faction said the management of A Class Event Centre had been threatened with closure over plans to allow the PDP to use its hall for the ratification of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its 2027 presidential candidate, but vowed to proceed with the Saturday event as scheduled.
Presidency Tells Makinde to Fix Oyo’s Security Before Lecturing Federal Government
The Presidency has accused Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of playing politics with insecurity and attempting to shift responsibility for the state’s security challenges to the federal government. Presidential aide Dada Olusegun, responding on his X account, challenged Makinde to properly fund the Amotekun regional security outfit before offering lectures on how to address national security, noting that Lagos State had successfully managed the financial demands of its own security apparatus.
APC Cautions That Primary Election Results Are Not Yet Final
The All Progressives Congress has clarified that results emerging from its primary elections conducted across the federation are not yet official, with the party’s Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, stating that formal declarations of winners would only be made after the conclusion of internal appeal processes. Tooki urged aggrieved aspirants to channel complaints through the party’s established appeal mechanism rather than resorting to attacks against the national leadership.
Akpabio Defends Tinubu’s Economic Reforms as Necessary Steps Toward Long-Term Prosperity
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has commended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates, describing them as difficult but necessary measures to place the economy on a sustainable footing. In a statement marking the administration’s third anniversary, Akpabio pointed to key initiatives including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, the Nigerian Student Loan Scheme and the Renewed Hope Housing Programme as evidence of the administration’s reform drive.
Nigerian Correctional Service Dismisses Claims That Kuje Inmate Was Robbed of N120 Million
The Nigerian Correctional Service has rejected allegations that an inmate at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje was robbed of valuables worth over N120 million during a routine search, describing the reports as false and misleading. In a statement by Service Public Relations Officer JN Osuji, the NCoS said the exercise was a standard security search conducted in line with established procedures, and that records at the facility do not reflect that the valuables mentioned were ever declared by any inmate upon admission.
Timber and Madueke Fit to Start Champions League Final Against PSG — Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Jurrien Timber and Noni Madueke are fit to start Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest. Speaking to journalists on Friday, Arteta said both players were available for selection, while confirming that defender Ben White remains sidelined after sustaining a knee injury against West Ham earlier this month.
Nollywood Actress Esther Okereke Wins National Rescue Movement’s 2027 Presidential Ticket
Nollywood actress and film producer Esther Okereke has emerged as the presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement ahead of the 2027 general election, after defeating former Labour Party presidential aspirant Joseph Faduri and UK-based businessman Ademola Onigbokun at the party’s primary in Abuja. Her emergence places her among the few women to secure a presidential ticket from a Nigerian political party, as parties begin early preparations for the 2027 election cycle.
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